The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Offi ce (ICO) voiced concerns over the growing pervasiveness of LBS and the lack of end user awareness about how much data these systems transmit. According to Jonathan Bamford, Head of strategic liaison at the data protection watchdog, the speed of development in this sector leaves regulators struggling to ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place. “The sheer scale of technological change and the ingenuity with which people are using LBS data feeds means we are always playing catch-up,”

Russian satellite producer Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems plans to start developing a new generation satellites for the country’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) in 2017. The company plans to fi nish developing the projected satellites, called GLONASS-KM, in 2020.

WORK Microwave has announced that the company’s joint venture with IFEN has produced a new model for the well known NavX®-GNSS test solution product family. With its flexible licensing capability, the new product is a future-proof investment for the coming multi-GNSS era. The key technology advancement in the NavX®-NCS Essential is driven by the powerful BLACK JACK simulation engine, which lies at the heart of the NavX®-NCS Essential. The engine allows simultaneous simulation of GPS, GLONASS, SBAS, and Galileo satellites covering all operating GNSS systems on the L1 RF frequency band all-in-one-box.

The Commission proposes to earmark €7 billion to guarantee the completion of the EU satellite navigation infrastructure and to ensure the exploitation of the systems until 2020, such as the operations of the space and terrestrial infrastructures, the necessary replenishment/replacement activities, certification procedures, and notably the provision of services.

National Remote Sensing Centre of India will set up a remote sensing ground station in the continent of Antarctica. Once the Antarctica ground station is operational, it will boost the remote sensing data transmitted by Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites. The data will be helpful during natural calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, besides providing regular data terrain. According to NRSC sources, the proposed ground station in Antarctica will receive data around 10 to 12 orbits per day from different IRS satellites.

Autodesk, Inc has announced several new features to be added to the next release of AutoCAD WS, a free* web and mobile application that enables users to view, edit and share AutoCAD projects across desktop, web and mobile devices. AutoCAD WS users will have access to 3D interactive features, including the ability to work with 3D drawings on mobile devices.

u-blox has announced two new products equipped with Automotive Dead Reckoning (ADR) technology. The NEO-6V GPS module and UBX-G6010- SA-DR single-chip deliver drop-in, self calibrating GPS Dead Reckoning performance for high precision vehicle navigation systems. ADR enables highly accurate positioning in areas of weak or no GPS satellite reception such as within tunnels and park houses.

On November 30, the GLONASS-K1 satellite, GLONASS 701(K), which had been using broadcast almanac slot 3 and transmitting on frequency channel -5 while undergoing flight tests, ceased transmissions on its assigned channel and was removed from the almanac.GLONASS 744, launched with the other Block 44 satellites on 4 November 2011 and which achieved its orbital slot 3 in Plane 1 a few days ago, was activated and is transmitting on frequency channel 5. It is currently set unhealthy in both the almanac and the ephemeris while undergoing further commissioning.GLONASS 743 and 745 are still moving towards their designated orbit slots.

Juniper Systems has partnered with Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) and will manufacture the Topcon Tesla™, the newest data collector in Topcon’s full lineup of rugged handheld computers and solutions for the survey industry. The Tesla features the advantages of both a rugged handheld and a tablet PC, without the disadvantages of either.

Europe has taken a major step in its history by launching the first two operational Galileo satellites with a Soyuz launcher to reach their orbit at 23.000 kilometres. From 2014, the new constellation will enable improved services ranging from more precise in-car navigation, effective road transport management, search and rescue services, more secure banking transactions as well as reliable electricity provision, which all rely heavily on satellite navigation technologies to work efficiently. The overall economic impact is estimated to be around 90 billion euro over the next 20 years.